I visited the Com2uS headquarters where I spent my thirties, now in the position of Country Manager for a global tech company’s Korean branch. It brought back memories of a time when I was struggling hard, persuading the headquarters management to send the development team on a business trip to the US. The purpose was to preemptively develop an iPad app scheduled for release in March 2010 and test it locally. At the time, the U.S. business itself was uncertain, and it was a period of transition from feature phones to smartphones, making it a cautious investment for the company. Yet, sending three people on this trip was an aggressive request from the U.S. branch to preemptively capture the untested iPad market.

During the trip, we encountered numerous challenges. We immediately revised the app’s design on-site based on feedback from Apple representatives and worked day and night fixing bugs. We poured every effort into the project, even meticulously adding the names of everyone who contributed to the credits. Ultimately, we successfully launched the aquarium app ‘Ocean Blue’ in time for the iPad’s release date. I vividly remember celebrating that evening with a joyful team dinner at a sushi restaurant bearing the same name. On weekends, I visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium to observe marine life and buy related books. As America’s largest aquarium, renowned not only for tourism but also for marine ecosystem research, it provided immense inspiration for the app development.

During this visit, I unexpectedly reunited with that developer who had shared the hardships back then at Com2uS headquarters. Seeing him now, thriving as the team leader for a new metaverse project, felt strangely poignant. It was our reunion after ten years. As it turned out, he had left the company the same year I did, faced various trials and tribulations, and recently returned to Com2uS. I shared my own tumultuous journey since returning to Korea, and we enjoyed a heartwarming meal together. Alongside the joy of meeting an old colleague, a mix of emotions welled up at the fateful situation where we now discussed a collaborative project from different positions.

I was especially grateful that he remembered me as a very faithful Christian. I explained that the Korean community in the US naturally avoids alcohol since it centers around Korean churches, and this time, I happily enjoyed a glass of beer with him.